use local, wild yeast for bread? For free?!?

     
Wow. Just learned I can do this. And YOU can do this.

Heard it on the radio, and finally researched it this a.m. The method I'll use is here*.

Many call for boiling potatoes, and some require no fruit/veggies at all, but I'm leaning toward the one using (organic) grapes. Since, you know, we have a vine (read: free, organic, & 2 steps from my front door).

Baking bread using the yeast from your own back yard!

Apparently (according to the sites I've read) the (beautiful) white powdery haze the grapes sport is yeast. I just now (after 1st draft of this) went out to gather, basically, raisins, and voila! There's several very large clusters of honest-to-goodness grapes! And these are big cats, so this is a lot of grapes.

Way more than the 1 lb I require.

Anyhow, I just need to then mush the grapes in a bowl, cover and let them sit at room temp for 3 days, then for the next 2 days there's a little of adding (water, flour), tossing (excess liquid), and mixing, and I'll have starter!

Then I can keep in the starter in fridge indefinitely, feeding weekly.

Sounds AWEsome to me. And since it's been cold, I want to bake bread. However, it will get warmer this week, so that's great for getting yeast happy to multiply.

Anyhow, HOW LOCAL will my homemade bread be if it's yeast from OUR HOUSE?!?

WAYYY too cool. =) This is one happy conservation biologist & occasional baker. And, as you may have determined, I get VERY happy with stuff that leads to or enhances self reliance. TOO cool.

Anyone out there interested in trying, too? Or have you already? DO tell.

xobiobabbler

P.S. I wonder about the white on the grapes being yeast. If so, why do I have to hold this sugary liquid on my counter for 3 days just like the method with NO grapes (but water and flour)? For the latter, it's to collect yeast and allow it time to grow. Specifically directed to cover my grapes with cheese cloth, I'm guessing to let the yeast in. Thoughts? Anyone? Does anyone know what that white cast is on grapes?

*any thing that explicitly tells you to "Crush with hands" has GOT to be fun. =)

last Monday's harvest shot...

 

Apparently some stealthy corn and squash were still out there in the Three-Sisters thicket.

There's still LOADS of tomatoes out there--I honestly think it's the bulk of our entire harvest. Trying to let them ripen out on the vine as long as possible. Supposed to be in the 70s here, soon, and sunny (rain is done), so maybe more will redden before I have to do the giant tomato harvest.

Keeping my eye on the overnight lows, so I can be sure and grab stuff before it freezes.

Fieldwork updates will probably come today, including a rattlesnake shot.

xobb

p.s. if bb seems a little less colorful than usual, she's illin'.
p.p.s. Remember that starting Monday, I might post hardly at all until December as I'm supposed to be writing a novel, of all things! =)

photo quiz Prhiday, #22

 

Who am I?

bb

biobabbler birds barrio backyards... que bueno!

  
Who knew we'd see such great birds in urban backyards (granted only those facing a channelized creek)?

great egret, snowy egret, and biologist

We spooked the common mergansers (about 6) and mallards earlier.

This is one of the more picturesque sections. A less picturesque one had a scary dog who's head poked out of the backyard fence, then it's entire body, tho' it seemed to be chained up. At least for now...

My favorite house had 3 potted chili plants on OUR side of the fence (to soak up that southern exposure sun--smart!), and on their side a HUGE shrub COVERED in TINY red chilies. Looked like the whole thing was decorated in miniature chili lights.

And the best part: large cookie sheets balances precariously atop the high fence, filled with drying chilies, and hanging from the lattice canopy that shaded their backyard? Many strings of the MOST beautiful, brilliant red and orange chilies you've ever seen.

SO charming. I told my co-workers I thought they were the coolest people on the block. But, no pics. 

My grandmother taught me better.  It'd be impolite.

black-crowned night heron perched on a wire, hoping we'll leave soon

black-crowned night heron had enough of us...

belted kingfisher (far away)

I also have a pretty impressively bad photo of a butterfly or moth (really erratic, hyper flier like moth, but not unlike fritillaries, tho' I didn't see that kind of pattern--mostly just CRAZY bright). Flitted like mad, then was gone. Arf.

Any one wanna take a WILD, wild guess? Anything to help me find pictures of something it MIGHT be, would be great. STUNNING, crazy bright color. I'd guess 2.5 inches across (like the pretty big fritillaries).

What I DID see pretty well was:

A cabbage white butterfly.

K. OOF, the late night and early a.m. are catching up to me. Better sign off to shop for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch before I pass out (during World Series). And, of course, gotta do SOME yoga before bed. =)

Today, and every day.

Then, tomorrow? More field work. SWEET!

xobiobabbler

When you plan your day/week/month...

 
... what among your options would be more interesting to read about (blog or book) or see in a film?

I think about this when I am a blob watching a movie, for example. No one in the movie is watching a movie. They are often out and about, and are always BUSY.

People generally find it interesting to watch people doing stuff. Going places. Figuring stuff out.

Adventuring. =)

Just a different criterion to consider when deciding what to do with your time.

=)

(btw, meeting in front of my hotel tomorrow at 6 a.m. to head out for fieldwork--woo-hoo! Of course, right now I'm blogging and watching the hotel tv... =) )

FYI: mystery spider no longer nameless...

   

Araneus gemma, cat-faced spider

According to MOBugs:

"I've been doing some research for you on the spider and finally have an ID for you from a spider expert....it is Araneus gemma or sometimes called Cat-Faced Spider."

Bugguide.net's page for it is here, and another site they recommend for more information.

Sure was a honker!

Thanks, MOBugs, I really appreciate it. =)

biobabbler

okay: time for yoga. then bed. then, again, outtahere!

 
Incoming biobabbler drought:  WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING!

Taking off tomorrow for fieldwork. Back this weekend.

But first, of course, before tomorrow, is tonight. Which means that now, 10:43 p.m., I must stop THIS:

surfysurfysurfysurfy, bloggybloggybloggybloggy

and start doing THAT:

That'd be "tree," a  yoga pose. Plus a few more. Before beddy-bye.

So, talk to you later, and have a great week!

xobb

Late, late Mumday: please zoom way in on plants...

 

 

  

 bb

Phriday photo quiz answers

 

The plant is Eriogonum inflatum, as Cindy said (in comments). I didn't post her guess RIGHT away so other folks could look and guess, but she nailed it immediately. Nice work, Cindy! HONK HONK!

I just could NOT believe the colors it had while I was there. Joshua Tree NP version of fall colors. Wow!

Second, bonus photo quiz got many VERY interesting and amusing guesses (including community service!), but that photo means I have field work this week. Specifically, work that will be near a construction site, so I have to wear that vest so cars and/or giant beeping equipment backing up doesn't flatten me in a Warner-Brothers-cartoon-like fashion. Or in any other fashion....

It also signals to onlookers that I am authorized to be climbing over hill and dale--in this case to look for bird nests and/or western pond turtles.

The looks you get from passing cars if you're hiking all over near a busy road. Truckers and construction workers (who have also hiked all over in orange vests) seem most friendly re: Honk Honk as they pass by. They see anyone doing that (male, female, indeterminate) and they honk hello. Pretty cute, actually. =)


That's all for now.

Biobabbler, frankly, is still wiped out from the weekend.

Went to Bridge School Benefit Concert (one review) in Mountain View with friends (Bear was home, sick), and got rained on maybe 1/2 the time we were sitting in the grass seating area (cheap seats we live for). And it was a wee bit cold.

Amazing performers, and Pearl Jam was especially great. If you ever see Eddie Vedder live (with band or no) you will "get" why he's so successful.

I've seen a few people at these concerts who have this sort of magical quality that sends them up into some other plane of existence than the rest of the world. Sarah McLaughlin was like that, Chris Martin from Coldplay was, too. And EV is especially tight with Neil Young, and Neil and his wife Pegi put this whole concert (and the Bridge School!) together, so I expect it's particularly meaningful for EV to be there. When they introduced him, they called him the ultimate veteran of this concert series--he's a frequent flier, for sure.

I also have to say Elvis Costello's voice sounded really great. I wonder if it's due in part to the big, thick scarf he had wrapped all around his neck, so his vocal chords were nice and warm, thank you. Maybe his wife (Diana Krall) taught him that.

ANYhow, that night I did my yoga after the concert, from 1:59 a.m. to 2:25 a.m. I am a morning person, but not THAT end of morning, so I still have some sleeping to catch up on, I think. =)

However, the yoga did ensure I went to bed feeling amazing, which is sort of shocking after sitting for 7 hours in the cold/rain.

xobiobabbler

OMG: This post freaked me OUT!

 
Just check this out, from mainly mongoose.

WOW!

Mouth agape over and over.

xobb

Optional photo quiz Phriday bonus...

   

What, pray tell, does this tell you about biobabbler's next week?

bb

Phinally Phriday photo quiz: #21

   

 (click and it'll grow!)

What plant species am I?

bb

xx

100 days of yoga, 100 years of life?

 
I'm considering trying to do at least 10 minutes of yoga every day for 100 days. I've been drawn to the "One hundred days of yoga" idea since I first thought of it a few years ago.

image from here

I'm REALLY not good at stuff like this. Projects requiring chronic attention. But, so much of life benefits from being consistent*.

I really want yoga to a regular part of my life, again. I'm so much healthier and happier when it is. And migraines just don't happen. And heaven knows Bear is in favor of it (calms the flighty creature he married).

And I just heard of someone who did 365 days of exercise, and credited the fact that her requirements was only 10 minutes, so even if you feel awful, you can squeak out 10.

So, hm. Considering I typed YOGA in every day of my iCal calendar starting today, I guess I've declared it. We'll see.

Oh, and if you want motivation re: exercising every day? Check this woman out. Closing in on 100, she does one HOUR of yoga every a.m. and walks 30 minutes BEFORE SHE EATS BREAKFAST! She looks and sounds a-MA-zing. Totally my new hero.


We are animals, and humans specifically were designed to move. A lot.

(click on this pup for a much better gander)

I think that's why landscapes like this make me want to walk across them. The horizon beckons.

I'm thinkin' we would benefit from obeying that impulse more often--and regularly presenting ourselves with those opportunities.

Go ahead, be a human.

I bet it feels good. =)

biobabbler

P.S. Days later: Today is day 11. I've done yoga every day for the last 10 days. So far, so good.

* Merriam-Webster definition of consistent is very cool: "marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity : free from variation or contradiction"

Winners of the 2010 microphotography contest

   
A-MA-zing. Trust me, go.

Thanks, Sparky, for the heads up!

biobabbler

today's harvest: blinded by buttercup

 
Another unusual harvest day. Or, maybe it's just a fall thing. Cut pretty much all of the winter squash I could readily see. At least until I couldn't see.

buttercup squash, tomatoes, and corn

Once again, gardening around 10:30 a.m., when apparently my blood sugar has crashed (thought I felt fine...), so blinking, grabbing for old corn and squash I said out loud: "Why can't I see?" I'd blink again and my vision re: what I was staring directly at would return, but then it'd happen again. yikes.

So steered myself and the umpteen squashes swaddled in my sweatshirt back to the house for a meal. For me, not the squashes.

Woke up later, and the stems had been oozing clear liquid that the ants liked onto the floor. Picked myself up from my brunch-induced coma and cleaned up the mess, unceremoniously swiping ants.

Take Home Lesson
Freshly picked winter squash initial storage position? Stem-side up, if you don't want cute little sugary pools. =)

Learning all the time with this gardening thing.

Picture is from here, Wikipedia.

Thinkin' that's partly why Thomas Jefferson (brainiac) and George Washington (brainiac who had his own still!) were so into it.

You can seriously geek out; and it's never the same. Ever.

And it's fun.

And yummy.

And pretty.

And the ants love it!

xobiobabbler

desperately seeking my favorite JOTR photo...

 
It's a picture I took many years ago. Have since learned it's popular for posters, etc. Who knew? I just thought it was cool. So, wanted to see if I could find it again.

So, I drove to the general area, looked for it, didn't find it, got a little lost,

made some friends along the way,

 

(this one is larger, so click on it to see the "eye of the needle" part of it)

stopped to enjoy the view,

found the road/my car,

Can you find it? Click on pic to see...

made my descent, glancing back from whence I came,

 

and hopped into my Honda, deciding it's okay if I don't find the feature I'm fond of.

I had a great time exploring the boulder wonderland, and saw some amazing things. And got some quality quiet time among astounding rocks.


Then, on a lark, I turned left vs. going straight for one last, half-hearted attempt, from another approach. What could it hurt? And it'll burn a few calories.

And BLAMO, there it was. Easy as pie.


And then the sun came out.

(sigh)

Life is good.

xoxobb

In love: the moth of my dreams plus spiky spidey

  
First the spider, found this walking around a big rock looking for petroglyphs (not successful re: that goal, but this spider was a major coup).

Wow. Broader than my thumb, that spidey. Beautiful markings, and fits right in with the desert decor motif: spikes, spikes, and more spikes.

Looks like a moth is neatly wrapped up, but I'm not sure. Do not envy that creature. Yikes.

Anyone know what kind of spider this is?


And now, the mothy love of my life.

Seriously, mouth agape, SHOCKED at this stunner as I hopped over the railing at Keys View in Joshua Tree NP to take pictures of this scarlet blur I saw buzzing, bumping and otherwise moving in what seemed to be a struggle along the ground. At first I couldn't tell if it was maybe 2 bugs: 1 flier, trying to tame and lift off with a non-flier. What WAS clear was that SOMEbody was the MOST amazing red. Yow.

So, here is the stunner (and you can click on these to look closer, as ever):

The blurry red is mostly what I saw--it was moving pretty fast, if randomly.

 

LOOK at the striped belly and that dashing face! Rowr!

(swoon)

Could this creature BE more spectacular?!?

woah.

I feel SO LUCKY that I got to see this

Seriously.

What ARE the odds? I was at Keyes View probably 5 minutes that day.

Man.

Maybe it's good chicken/cat karma?

Or maybe, I'm just VERY lucky. =)

Okay: so now I think I've figured out it's Hemileuca electra. This is the species a friend of mine was working on which caused us to meet (I was research/permit person, among other duties, at my park at the time).

[Update: just got a confirmation from him, and he thinks it's a male Hemileuca electra clio. See, ya get species AND subspecies when dealing with an expert. Nice. Thanks, Dan!]

Here's a video of Hemileuca electra emerging and expanding their wings, mating, and laying eggs.

How cool (at least visually, if not socially) would it dress up to be one of these moths for Halloween?

=)

Nature continues to knock my socks off.

xoxo biobabbler (sockless)

a few more JOTR pics in the interim...

 

xobb

okay, slight delay...

  
I think the SUPER stunning moth I photographed 2 days ago is the precise species a friend of mine was working on when I met him ('cause our professional paths crossed) so I want to confirm that first.

If it IS that species, then I think I "get" why, karmically, I got to see this incredible animal. A stunning reward for a tiny thing (approving a research permit for said researcher).

WOW.

Well, really, I'm just lucky. WAY lucky.

And a good audience.

=)

All I can say now is it's worth the wait.

Holy cow.

I seriously cannot believe my luck.

xoxobb

Mumday -- JUST returned from weekend away...

 

bb

Phriday photo quiz: how's your aerial geography?

 

What/where is this?

Saved it larger than normal, so feel free to click and zoom.

=) Have a great weekend!

xobb

weird harvest day... and sexy chocolate shot

 

Finally harvested the watermelons--the vines were all dead, so figured it's time. Yanked out the vines.

fling!

Watermelon for the season: Done.

 The last of the summer squash.

Growth rates super slow, and I want the plots for something else, so out they came, and into the chicken runs.

fling!

Squash for the season: Done.

More nightshades! Lotsa jalapenos.

Had to take a shot of the weigh in of our largest tomato this year

Large is not a priority for me re: tomatoes.

Taste and vigor are.

Nevertheless, I have been beguiled by this plump cutie.

Harvested corn, yesterday, until sunset.

Not flinging the stalks, yet, as they are still supporting winter squash.

Vast majority of the corn for the season: Done.  

Can you see why a color freak like me would grow this corn? YUM!

Not sure how to dry it, but hoping some day it'll be blue corn flower.

Then blue cornbread, maybe? COOL!

Cosmos seeds (and petals). Collected these, then...

fling!

Cosmos for the season: Done.

Feeling kind of ruthless in the garden, of late;
when in doubt, yank it out. =)

fling!

So, while in garden yesterday, after 1.5 hrs, covered in dirt, sweat, and a mixture of live and dead aphids (corn = aphidy), the orange sun sinking below the horizon, I remember: I'm supposed to make something today for Bear's potluck.

Hm.

My default if I space on said task is brownies. Easy, popular, smell good, and I usually have the ingredients.

And that's where this came from:

I love how glassy and smooth this chocolate looks in the pale blue bowl.

Chocolate is so beautiful.

sigh

And last, but not least, these folks stopped by to say Hi to y'all...

Cuties. Looks like a double date.

Looks like I'm not the only one running around this fall, preparing for winter. =)

biobabbler